Denver author Carleen Brice is winning.
The Lifetime movie “Sins of the Mother” — based on Brice’s breakout Denver-based book, “Orange Mint and Honey” — went away with two statuettes from the NAACP Image Awards on Friday night: one for Outstanding Television Movie and one for Jill Scott, who played the mother, for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie.
“Orange Mint and Honey” is about the challenging reconciliation between a daughter and her once-wayward mother.
“It was pretty amazing,” says Brice of her Hollywood night. “We walked down the red carpet at the Shrine Auditorium, and that was something else. I was laughing in my head as the paparazzi were taking our pictures, asking who I was and what I were there for. And they were very nice.”
Brice was invited on stage to accept the Outstanding TV Movie award. “It’s a cliche, but all my words left my head. All I could think of was to say hello to my 88-year-old grandmother in Omaha, Nebraska.”
The movie was set in Denver but filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Brice is hard at work on her third novel, also set in Denver, titled “Calling Every Good Wish Home.”
Girl vs. food.
Virgilio’s Pizza had to pay up last month when Stephanie Torres came up from Las Cruces, N.M., to face owner Virgilio Urbano’s food challenge. He promised to give $1,000 to anyone who could eat the “Hugilio,” a 28-inch, 11-pound pizza, in two hours. The 25-year-old Torres, at 5-foot-1 and 110 pounds, came in and ate the whole thing in 1 hour, 51 minutes. Urp. “I heard about it and I thought ‘I can eat 11 pounds of food.’ ” she says. “So I gave it a try, and I just kept on eating.”
“It’s unbelievable,” Urbano says. “I didn’t think it could ever happen. Some other people tried it, but no one could go over 8 pounds.”
He has posted a video of him paying the little woman the $1,000 on YouTube (search for “Hugilio”). There is also a shot of her taking the last bite, and she doesn’t look that good.
This is your life.
Curious Theatre Company once again celebrates the lives of Denverites on April 27 with “Denver Stories,” a night where actors give us a glimpse of the adventures of four local bold names.
This year the quartet is bluesman Otis Taylor, Fruition restaurant’s Paul Attardi, “Shear Genius” hairman Charlie Price and Lower Downtown queen Dana Crawford.
The chosen four work with a playwright to get the 10 to 15 minute plays written. Then it’s showtime. This is always a fun night with food and drink and laughs. In past years, the company has given us its take on Lannie Garrett, former Gov. Bill Ritter, Patty Calhoun, Reggie Rivers, Bob Garner, Judi Wolf and Terrance Carroll.
Tix are $150. Go to or call 303-623-0524.
City spirit.
Hey, hey, it’s the Monkees, with Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork celebrating their 45th anniversary July 5 at the Paramount . . . Sez who: “Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around.” Anna Quindlen
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at .
